Unusual winners in men's doubles

Haunui Montas and Lucas Segati created a surprise by winning the Tahiti Open in men's doubles by defeating the favorites Yankell Clavery and Jérémy Duchier.

Tournament classification and budget issues

The fourth edition of the Tahiti International Beach Tennis Open, which concluded on October 26, 2026, at Paofai, took place despite a BT 50 classification, which is less prestigious than the BT 100 of 2025, and a consequently reduced international field. The Tahiti beach tennis association faced a reduced budget this year, particularly from institutional supporters heavily involved in the Pacific Games.

Tournament classification and prize money

The classification of a beach tennis tournament is first conditioned by its prize money, which dropped from 10,000 US dollars in 2025 to 4,000 US dollars in 2026, leading to the Tahitian event being downgraded from BT 100 to BT 50 by international bodies. This affected the quality of the international field, though some foreign players based in Tahiti participated.

Tournament events and results

The climax of the Tahiti Open took place on Sunday on the beach court at Paofai with four of the five finals scheduled. The first title was awarded the previous day with the mixed doubles final, which featured two couples: Yankell and Laetitia Clavery against Jérémy and Jessica Duchier. The Clavery couple won 4-2, 4-1, which deprived Jérémy Duchier of a possible triple as he was in the final four of the men's doubles with Yankell Clavery and was doing well in the singles draw.

Singles results and player performances

He actually won the singles final in the final set and tie-break against Alexandre Adam, a young player who recently arrived from Reunion and who should continue to play a leading role among men. The singles women's final was more decisive, with Taï Taerea dominating clearly (6-1) Tahia Ischer.

Doubles finals and local favorites

The finals of the women's and men's doubles, which are always the most anticipated in beach tennis, followed. The women's doubles final was played on the central court under a brilliant sun and in front of the public stand. Nelly Bartolo and Sarah Santacruz, the number 1 pair who had already won in Papara, started strongly by wrapping up the first set 6-1.

Challenging the top players

However, Rita Colombel and Aude Nesa offered a more substantial challenge in the second set by pushing their opponents to a tie-break finally won by Nelly Bartolo and Sarah Santacruz, who won in two sets. The men's final opposed Yankell Clavery and Jérémy Duchier, who had also won a week earlier and who are almost unbeatable locally, to Lucas Segati from Bora Bora and Haunui Montas, who came from even further away as his professional career led him to Modane in the Alps where he is a customs officer.

Upset victory in men's doubles

Even though he no longer plays much in France in beach tennis, he remains a high-level player just like Lucas Segati. Both of them upset the favorites by winning the first set 7-5 and although they lost the second set in a tie-break, they won the super tie-break 10-6 to win the title of the 2026 Tahiti Open.

Tournament comparison and future hopes

The 2026 Tahiti International Open was not lacking in interest but it is evident that the one in 2025 had more standing with a more substantial international field confirmed by the victories of Japanese Tomioka Hiroyuki paired with Brazilian Augusto Simonetto in men's doubles and the Japanese pair Erina Otsuka and Eri Homma in women's doubles. The Tahiti beach tennis association and its president Yankell Clavery expressed hopes that the event will move up a level in 2027, citing satisfaction with the organization and player performance.

Challenges and future goals

The organizing team is well experienced and they hope to offer a BT 100 or even higher in 2027. They had to deal with budget restrictions this year and schedule a BT 50 with less substantial prize money, which obviously affects foreign participation. However, the level of the tournament was good because the general level of Tahitian beach tennis is increasing and this is pushing behind the elite.

New players and future potential

They had quite a few new arrivals who are making their mark and this is dynamizing the tournaments. It is promising for the future but they still need a dedicated installation for beach tennis because without it, it is difficult to train and organize tournaments, especially with the Pacific Games deadline, they cannot always use the courts they have access to occasionally. But they remain motivated to ensure that their discipline is firmly established in the Tahitian sports landscape.

Event closure and future tournament

The prize-giving ceremony and closing ceremony concluded the event on Sunday afternoon in the gardens of Paofai. The next beach tennis event is scheduled for Sunday, November 22, at Aorai tini hau with the second stage of the Tour. Patrice Bastian provided the results of the finals: Men's doubles: Haunui Montas and Lucas Segati defeated Yankell Clavery and Jérémy Duchier 7-5, 6-7, 10-6 Women's doubles: Nelly Bartolo and Sarah Santacruz defeated Rita Colombel and Aude Nesa 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) Mixed doubles: Yankell and Laetitia Clavery defeated Jérémy and Jessica Duchier 4-2, 4-1 Men's singles: Jérémy Duchier defeated Alexandre Adam 7-6 (7-2) Women's singles: Taï Taerea defeated Tahia Ischer 6-1